Oats(w/ Apricots), Spiced Brown Rice Pilaf and Salad, and Black Bean & Cornmeal Loaf

Breakfast
Sorry, I forgot to take a picture of it...
Oats with Apricots
Rating: 3.5 out of 5, the apricots were a little too tangy

Lunch

Lunch was leftovers from last week: Spiced Brown Rice Pilaf and Salad. For some reason, I liked it better this week. It seemed more mellow. Rating 3.5 out of 5.

Dinner



Black Bean & Cornmeal Loaf with Salsa and Tortilla chips

This was supposed to be a loaf, but it did not set up because it was too wet. The cookbook we used calls for weights, not cups, etc. and we do not have a food scale yet. I really liked it, even though it wasn't the prettiest dinner. I give it a 4.5 out of 5. Again, Paul made this so I am not sure how long it took. Less than an hour, I am pretty sure.

Recipe
1 quart veggie stock
1 tsp salt
2 oz vegetable oil
8 oz cornmeal
5 oz red peppers, diced
5 oz green peppers, diced
6 oz red onions, diced
3 oz sun-dried tomatoes, softened and diced
1/4 oz cilantro, chopped
12 oz black beans, cooked
1/4 tsp Tabasco, to taste
1/2 tsp salt, to taste
1/2 tsp pepper, to taste
2 oz flour, as needed
salsa

Heat a skillet with half of the oil. Add peppers, onions, and garlic; sweat until softened. Remove from heat and add tomatoes, cilantro, beans, and Tabasco. Season to taste with salt and pepper and Tabasco. Reserve.

Heat stock; add salt and 1 Tbsp of oil. Slowly whisk in the cornmeal, reduce heat, and cook 20 minutes, stirring constantly. Mixture should pull away from the sides of the pot. Set aside. Fold in the bean mixture.

Turn mixture into a greased loaf pan. Refrigerate overnight.

(theoretical part)

Unmold loaf and slice into 15 equal slices. Cut each slice on the diagonal to make 30 triangles.

Lightly dust triangles with flour. Saute triangles in oil until brown.

Serve 3 triangles per portion; top with freshly made salsa.

From The New Professional Chef

Oats(w/ Currants), Spaghetti and Spiced Brown Rice Pilaf

Breakfast



Oatmeal with dried Currants. This fruit is one we don't have very often, so I would rate it a little higher. I give it a 4.5 out of 5.

Lunch



Spaghetti with a red sauce that Paul made. I didn't help him, and he didn't use a recipe, so I can't give it to you this time. Not a secret...just don't know.
I like it a lot, it is super-garlic-y. We also had it with garlic bread. I give it a 5 out of 5, yumm!

Dinner



Spiced Brown Rice Pilaf and salad

I can't figure out what it is about this pilaf that I don't like very much. I think it is the combination of cinnamon and rice. I am not interested in having it again. (sorry Paul!) I give it a 2 out of 5 for flavor. (It is palatable, just not enjoyable to me.)

Melt in a stockpot over medium heat: 3 Tbsp butter
Add and cook, stirring, until golden, about 8 minutes: 1 onion, chopped
Add and cook, stirring, for 1 minute: 1 bulb garlic, finely chopped
Add: 1 1/2 cups brown basmati rice, 3 Tbsp dried currants, 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
Stir to combine. Add: 4 1/2 cups vegetable stock

Bring to a boil. Stir once, cover, and cook over medium-low heat until the stock is absorbed and the rice is tender, about 50 minutes.

Adapted from Joy of Cooking

Oats(w/Papaya), Curry and Hummus Sandwiches

Breakfast

Oatmeal with Dried Papaya. You know, breakfast is pretty much the same every week. I like it, I eat it. I don't complain about it. I suggest you try it. BUT... I feel silly rating it and linking to it and giving you a picture every week. Maybe it is enough just to tell you that we had oatmeal with papaya in it? Let me know if you want more info about it, okay?

Lunch



Curried red kidney beans and cauliflower (rajma masala). This was the first time I made curry on my own. I have a tendency to not taste the food I make as I cook it. I just follow the recipe until I am done and then I put it away. Silly. If I had tasted it, I definitely would have added more spices! All of them. This was a bland recipe as is... I give it a simple 3 out of 5 for not enough flavor. It took about 1 hour to prepare.

From Sunset magazine, February 2007

Dinner

Hummus Sandwiches, again, I mean still. We didn't have dinner at our house very much last week, so we did not finish off the Hummus. Even though we had them last week and 2 weeks in a row 3 or 4 weeks ago, I liked them. I give them a 4 out of 5. I guess this is one of those meals I would call a classic. Timeless, even.

Oats(w/ Mango), White Bean & Kale Soup, and Hummus Sandwiches

Breakfast



Oatmeal with Mango. This week it is a 3 out of 5... How can you really be enthusiastic about oatmeal after the fantastic breakfast I had on Mother's day. Don't get me wrong, I still like my oatmeal though!

Recipe

for the Week:
2 Cups Rolled Oats
2 Cups Triticale
2 Cups Barley flakes
Brown Sugar
Dried Fruit
Vanilla flavored Oat Milk

Recipe for the day: (serves 2)
1 1/2 Cups water (bring to a boil)
2 heaping tablespoons brown sugar (mix into boiling water)
1/3 cup dried fruit (this varies depending on what fruit it is)(mix into boiling water)
1 1/2 Cups of mixture of oats, triticale and barley (or check for a 7 grain mixture in your bulk food aisle)

Stir in grains and keep stirring for about 30 seconds. Take off heat and cool a little.

When you are ready to serve it, add some milk to it. We add Vanilla Flavored Oat Milk to ours. Paul also adds freshly ground flax seed and wheat germ to his.


Lunch



White Bean and Kale Soup
Paul and I were both taken back to our youth when we had Campbells' Bean with Bacon soup when we tasted our creation. It is yummy and nostalgic... I give it a 4 out of 5. It is a simple soup, but good.

Recipe:
Bean and Kale Minestra
3/4 lb kale
1 bulb garlic, minced
1-2 Tbsp olive oil
9 cups cooked white kidney beans
5 cups bean water
2-3 cups water
3 heaping Tablespoons tomato paste
~ 1 Tbsp dried sage leaves
1-2 tsp salt (to taste)
freshly ground black pepper
3 Tbsp lemon juice (or to taste)

Remove the stems from the kale and coarsely chop the leaves. Soak the leaves in a bowl of cold water while you prepare the soup.

In a soup pot, saute the garlic in the olive oil fro half a minute. Add about half of the cooked beans and part of the water to the pot. Puree the rest of the beans and bean water in a blender or food processor along with the tomato paste and sage. Stir in the pureed beans into the soup. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Drain the kale. Mix it into the soup and simmer for at least half an hour, until tender.

Add the lemon juice. Taste for salt and pepper and adjust the seasonings.

Adapted from Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant

Dinner



On the sandwiches this time:
Ezekiel bread
Spicy mustard (brown mustard, honey and chipotle Tabasco)
spicy Hummus
Spinach and Feta Hummus (we had a little accident in our selection at the store...)
Sunflower Seeds, flavored with Bragg's
zucchini
Green bell pepper, very thinly sliced
Red leaf lettuce

Approximate time to prepare: 5 minutes

Unique: PB & J &..., and Mother's day Breakfast

I just had to show you Paul's special concoction he made after a bike ride



This is a Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich on Dave's Killer Bread. The other items on it are my daughter's breakfast cereal, Trader Joe's chocolate covered peanut butter filled pretzels and Trader Joe's Temptation Trail Mix. Yumm?!

Mother's Day Breakfast

As you can imagine, unique breakfast is a cherished pleasure for me (since we have oatmeal about 355 days a year...). When Paul asked me what I wanted for Mother's day, I jumped at the chance to have a special breakfast. This is the Feast he came up with (sorry, I forgot to take a picture when it was pretty)



This is Potatoes with red bell peppers, onions, garlic and CHEESE! Next to that is French toast made on Challah bread served with a triple berry compote and vanilla yogurt. Since Paul knows I love carbs, he bought whole grain English Muffins for me too. A lovely Peach Mango juice delightfully complimented the meal.

Oats(w/Mango), Lasagna and Veggie Sandwiches

Breakfast



Oatmeal with Dried Mango. Rating 4 out of 5. Good old oatmeal, it satisfies!

Lunch



Lasagna! 5 out of 5! Yeah, Cheese! Okay, so cheese is just something we don't have very often, but I love it. I really do only want to eat it as infrequently as we do though, for health reasons. But, I sure do love it when we indulge... Oh, and we had crusty sourdough bread. Yumm! Sorry, I don't remember how long it took. Probably about an hour, not including baking time.

Recipe
3-4 Tbsp Olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 garlic bulb, peeled and minced
32 oz tomatoes, crushed
16 oz tomatoes, diced
2 cans garbanzo beans
squash
2 carrots, shredded
1 head broccoli, chopped
1 bunch spinach, washed, steamed
1-2 Tbsp oregano
1-2 Tbsp basil
sharp cheese
4 oz mozzarella cheese, shredded
6-8 oz lasagna noodles, cooked

Saute the onions and garlic in the olive oil. Add the tomatoes, beans and seasonings. In a separate pan, steam the squash and broccoli a little. Allow the sauce to simmer for as long as you have time for. When you are ready, pour a little sauce in the bottom of a 9x13" pan. Layer: noodles, carrots, broccoli, spinach and cheeses until the pan is full (end with a layer of cheese). Cover with a sheet of aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees until veggies have softened. (around 45 minutes?) Sorry, we did not use a recipe, and Paul did most of it so I wasn't paying very close attention. I was so wrapped up in the cheese...

Dinner



Vegetable Sandwiches
I give them a 3.5 out of 5. I like the flavor of them, but we have had so many sandwiches lately!

Bread (Dave's Killer Bread!)(Good Seed)
spicy mustard
Guacamole
Tamari Sunflower seeds
Red Onion (Soaked in Balsamic Vinaigrette)
red bell pepper
green zucchini
Red leaf lettuce

Oats(w/Papaya), Vegetable Goulash and Tofu Pate Sandwiches with cowboy pancakes

Breakfast


Oats with Dried Papaya. I give this one a 4 out of 5. This is a sweet but mellow fruit. We cut it up into small cubes, so we do get some additional texture. Prep time: approx. 4 minutes.

Lunch



Vegetable Goulash. We did not double the recipe, but it was kind of hard to make, even though we used our large wok. Paul eventually split the food into two batches, one in the wok and the other in our large pot.



This is quite similar to the Vegetable Casserole Supreme that we had last week. I think I would enjoy it a lot better if we didn't just have a very similar dish last week. I LOVE potatoes...and the flavors in this dish are nice. The flavor is kind of like I would expect in a yummy vegetable stew, but the texture is more of a very well cooked casserole. I am going to give it a 3 out of 5 (probably unfairly given the bad timing). Prep time: I forgot to look, but I think it was about 1 hour and 20 minutes.

4 medium potatoes cut into 1" chunks
4 carrots sliced into 1/3" chunks
1 can artichoke hearts
1 1/2 cups chopped broccoli
2 cups Texturized vegetable protein (T.V.P.)
1 3/4 cup boiling water
2 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms
8 stalks celery cut into 1" chunks
3 medium onions, chopped
1-2 green pepper, cut into chunks
1-2 cups fresh or frozen corn
2-3 Tbsp. tamari soy sauce
2-4 Tbsp. vegetable bouillon powder
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
1 Tbsp basil
2 tsp. paprika
1 Tbsp thyme
2 tsp. cumin

In a large pot (or wok) steam the hard vegetables (potatoes, carrots, artichokes, broccoli) for 10-15 minutes. While the vegetables are steaming, add the boiling water to the T.V.P. and let it soak for 10 minutes until it expands and becomes tender. Next drain the steamed vegetables and return them to the pot without the steamer. Then add the T.V.P. and all the remaining ingredients. Simmer everything together on low to medium heat for 20-25 minutes until the flavors mingle. Correct the seasonings as desired. Serve hot with crusty bread (we served it with garlic bread).

Adapted from Vegan Delights

Dinner

Tofu Pate Sandwiches and Cowboy pancakes

I give the sandwiches a 4 out of 5. We used the yummy Roasted Garlic and Red Pepper Toby's Tofu Pate as the base and added 1 can of sliced black olives and some leftover nuts. We mixed it all up and store it in the fridge until we are ready to make the sandwiches. On the sandwiches we added the pate mixture, tamari sunflower seeds, purple cabbage and red leaf lettuce on our Ezekiel Bread. We are having what my daughter, Mikaela, is calling Cowboy Pancakes with the sandwiches.



These are surprisingly good. I give them a 4 out of 5. I am not sure about the prep time. Approx. 20 minutes to make the batter, 10 or so minutes to make the cakes (1 per person per day).

1 1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 3/4 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
whisk together.

in another bowl:
1 2/3 cup oat milk
4 Tbsp vegetable oil
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
egg substitute for 2 eggs (see below)

Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and gently wisk them together, mixing just until combined. Stir in:

3/4 cup frozen corn
1 small can green chilies

In order to get these to keep their shape during frying, we poured enough batter for one pancake in a bowl and microwaved it for 1.5 minutes, just to solidify it a little. Then we transferred to the hot oil to finish cooking it.

From the Joy of Cooking

Egg substitute to use as a binder: (equals one egg)
combine 1/3 cup water and 3-4 tsp. brown flax seeds. Bring to a boil on high heat, then simmer on low heat for 5-7 minutes until a slightly thickened gel begins to form. The recipe says to strain the flax seeds out of the liquid, but ours was too thick so we left them in. From Vegan Delights

Oats(w/ Pineapple), Vegetable Casserole Supreme and Gypsy Soup

Breakfast



Oats with dried Pineapple (rating 5 out of 5)
I love the big chunky pineapple which is sweet and has a great texture.

Lunch



Vegetable Casserole Supreme
Rating: 3 out of 5 I like it because of the celery. It added a different flavor to the dish that we don't have very much. It almost tasted like it had meat. It is kind of smokey and salty (like pork?). It is also a hearty dish with a little texture. We have a little of the crunch left from the celery and the sunflower seeds so it is not completely mushy. Approx. prep time 30 min. plus 35-45 minutes baking

Recipe
2 cans chick peas, drained, rinsed and mashed
2-3 Tablespoons natural oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 bulb garlic, minced
2 1/2 cups grated carrot
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 cup broccoli, chopped small
8 stalks chopped celery
1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1/2 cup cornmeal
2 Tbsp sunflower seeds
2 Tbsp parsley
1 Tbsp basil
1 Tbsp paprika
1 Tbsp thyme
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups chow mein noodles

In a large pot (we used a wok) saute the onion and garlic in hot oil for a minute or two. Add the vegetables one by one, beginning with the carrots. Saute until all the vegetables are slightly tender. Then mix the vegetables with the remaining ingredients, including the mashed chick peas. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread the mixture into a 13x9 baking dish and top with chow mein noodles, (actually, if you are making them for this for the week, you probably should put the noodles on when you serve it) pressing them in lightly into the top of the casserole. Bake for 35-45 minutes until browned and cooked throughout.

Adapted from Vegan Delights

Dinner



Gypsy Soup with Bread
Rating: 4 out of 5. I like this soup. It is a fairly basic vegetable soup, but it is much sweeter than a veg. soup usually is. It was a nice change. Approx. time to prepare: 50-60 minutes.

Recipe
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cups chopped onion
1 bulb garlic, minced
1 stalk celery, minced
2 cups peeled, diced sweet potato
1 tsp salt
2 tsp paprika
1 Tbsp turmeric
1 Tbsp basil
2 tsp cinnamon
several dashes of Tapatio hot sauce
2 bay leaves
5 cups vegetable broth
24 oz canned diced tomatoes
1 bell pepper diced
1 1/2 cups cooked chick peas

Heat the olive oil in a large pot. Add onion, garlic, celery, and sweet potato, and saute over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add salt and saute 5 minutes more. Add seasonings and vegetable broth, cover and simmer about 15 minutes.

Add tomatoes, bell pepper and chick peas. Cover and simmer for about 10 more minutes, or until all the vegetables are as tender as you like them. Taste to adjust seasonings, and serve. We served it with garlic bread.

Adapted from Moosewood Cookbook

Supplimental food: Black Bean and Rice Burritos and Tortellini with Pesto

Dinner



We have had a lot of food lately that has been lasting more than a week because we keep doubling the recipes. I was getting really tired of it so I only made a single batch of this weeks Cajun Skillet beans, so we ran out. Now we are having Black Bean & Rice Burritos. Of course, I made too much, so it will go into next week too... I give them 3.5 out of 5. They are a little dry, I think they could have used some salsa. Approx. time to prepare: 25 for the rice, about 5 min for each burrito.

Recipe (10-12 servings):
1 can black beans
2 cups of cooked brown rice
1 package of Zatarain's Black Beans and Rice (cooked)

Mix them up and store until you make the burrito. Other items on our burritos: Avacado, shredded carrot, tamari sunflower seeds, shredded cabbage, bell pepper and red leaf lettuce.

Movie Night Dinner



We usually will make one unique meal a week (usually Saturday or Sunday night after going on a long bike ride or making the food for the week). I usually forget to take a picture of it though, and so I don't include it in the blog. I remembered this week though. We had Tri-Color Tortellini with a yummy pesto sauce on it. Paul also made me a nice salad to have with it. I give it a 5 out of 5. It was very creamy and cheesy and carbo-loaded, my favorite. Oh, and the movie? Hands on a Hard Body. We are suckers for documentaries... (I gave this one a 3 out of 5 though as it was a little slow at times)

Oats(w/Cranberries), Hummus Sandwiches, Cajun Skillet Beans with orzo and Spicy Kale

Breakfast



Oats with Dried Cranberries. Rating 5 out of 5 for their flavor and texture. They have a tanginess that compliments the sweet Oat Milk we have over it.



Lunch

Sandwiches (hummus or PB & J when we finally run out of Hummus)
I have had enough with the Hummus already. Really, I think I am done for a while. Now watch, it will show up here again in a month... Rating 2.5 out of 5 (ONLY because I have had too much of this dish lately). Approximate time to prepare: 5 minutes

Dinner



I give it a 5 out of 5. This is a very hearty, deliciously flavorful dish. The Spicy Kale is a very good compliment. Approximate time to prepare:50 minutes.

Cajun Skillet Beans

1 Medium Onion, chopped
1 Bulb garlic, minced
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 celery stalks, chopped
2 green or red bell peppers, chopped
approx. 1 tablespoon dried thyme
approx. 1 tablespoon dried basil
approx. 1 tablespoon dried oregano
approx. 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
pinch salt
pinch cayenne (I left this out, to accommodate my daughter)
2 cups or 2 14 1/2 oz cans tomatoes
approx. 2 tablespoons honey
approx. 1 1/2 tablespoons dijon mustard
1 16 oz can black-eyed peas (yes, Mom, really!)
1 16 oz can butter beans

I played with the quantities of spices, and did not really keep track... sorry.
In a large skillet (I used a wok), saute the onions and garlic in the oil on medium heat. Chop the celery and bell peppers and add them to the pan. Continue to saute for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the thyme, basil, oregano, black pepper, cayenne and salt. Cover and cook for 5 minutes or until the onions are golden, stirring once or twice. Add the tomatoes, honey and mustard and simmer for 5 more minutes. Add the beans, cover and stir occasionally until thoroughly heated.

Adapted from the Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home

We are serving it over Orzo Pasta. Follow the recipe on the package. We added 1/2 teaspoon tumeric during cooking for color. Approximate time to prepare: 10 minutes

And Spicy Kale
In a large skillet heat up 3 tablespoons of oil (vegetable or olive). Saute 1 medium onion, diced. Add 1 head of regular kale, chopped. Saute until the kale is wilted. Add generous amounts of Chipotle Tabasco. Yumm. I give it a 5 out of 5. It is spicy and hearty. Approximate time to prepare the Spicy Kale: 15 minutes.

Oats(w/Apricots & Golden Raisins), Hummus Sandwiches and Gado Gado

Breakfast


Oats with Dried Apricots and Golden Raisins

I don't really know why we are having this particular combination of fruit. Paul picked it out...
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 The texture is very good, but the flavor combination is not that great. Individually, I would give each of these fruits high ratings, but together... They are a little weird. Approximate time to prepare: 4 minutes

Lunch


This is the third time we are having Hummus sandwiches since I started this blog! Wow, guess it takes something like this blog for me to see just how often we have some things... Guess I will give it a 5 out of 5 for flavor, texture and how filling it is.

On the sandwiches this time:
Ezekiel bread
spicy Hummus
Plain Hummus
Sunflower Seeds, flavored with Bragg's
Carrot, shredded
Green bell pepper, very thinly sliced
Red leaf lettuce

Approximate time to prepare: 5 minutes

Dinner


Okay, so doubling the peanut sauce recipe gave us too much. We are having it again. This week we also added Tamari Sunflower seeds to the yummy bowl 'o food.
Rating: 5 out of 5. I just love peanut flavored stuff (soy ice cream, snickers candy bars, thai peanut sauces, etc.) I really like all of the different textures in this meal. We heat it up so it is al dente at best. The crunchiness of the cabbage still comes through and the sunflower seeds add even more crunch and flavor. Oh, and we have discovered that Sriracha sauce is VERY good on this dish.

Instead of spinach under the sauce, we are doing Spicy Kale.
In a large skillet heat up 3 tablespoons of oil (vegetable or olive). Saute 1 medium onion, diced. Add 1 head of regular kale, chopped. Saute until the kale is wilted. Add generous amounts of Chipotle Tabasco. Yumm. I give it a 5 out of 5. It is spicy and hearty. Approximate time to prepare the Spicy Kale: 15 minutes.

Oats(w/ Apples), Gado Gado, and White bean and Black Olive Soup

Breakfast



Oats with Dried Apples
prep time and cooking: still keep forgetting to time it (slow starter...). less than 10 minutes
rating: 4 out of 5. I like it, I will definitely have it again (In fact, our fruits are on a rotation). The flavor is mild, kind of sweet. The texture is very good.

Lunch



Gado Gado (Salad over rice with a peanut sauce)
Prep time and cooking: 1 hour, 10 minutes
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars. It is a hearty and versatile bowl o' food. It is not so pretty, but many of the meals we have been having lately have not been so appetizing to look at...

Underneath the sauce:
A bed of fresh Spinach, chopped, shredded, torn or whole
Rice (Add 1/2 tsp turmeric to the rice as it cooks to turn it a lovely shade of yellow)
Assorted vegetables (we are using red cabbage and some green beans)

The Sauce
2 Tbs olive oil
1 cup minced onion
2 Tbs freshly grated ginger
2 3/4 cups good peanut butter (mmm, grind it at the store...)
2 to 3 cups hot water
3+ Tbs rice wine vinegar (or cider vinegar)
3+ Tbs soy sauce
2-3 Tbs brown sugar or honey
3+ Tbs lemon juice

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan. Add onion and ginger and saute over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes or until the onion is very soft. Add the remaining ingredients and whisk until smooth. Simmer over very low heat for about 15 minutes. Taste to adjust seasonings. Set aside until serving time. Serve at any temperature.

You are supposed to add some stuff over the sauce, but we are not going to as they are mostly additional garnish... (minced onion, fresh ginger, minced garlic, crushed red pepper flakes, unsweetened coconut and fruit).

From the Moosewood Cookbook

Dinner



White Bean and Black Olive Soup (served with Potato Rosemary Bread)
prep time and cooking: 50 minutes
Rating: 5 out of 5. I really liked the flavor of this soup, and it was very nice looking. It has a nice zing to it.

4 Tbs olive oil
2 cups chopped onion
2 celery stalks, diced
2 medium carrots, diced
2 tsp salt
2 1/2 tsp oregano
1 Tbs basil
3 small (5 to 6 inches long) zucchini, diced
2 green bell peppers, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 bulb garlic, minced
fresh black pepper
8 cups water
6 oz tomato paste
1/2 cup dry red wine
4 cups (~3 cans) great northern beans
2 cups sliced kalamata olives (or black ones; we used Italian seasoned black olives)
2 Tbs fresh lemon juice

Heat the olive oil in a large pot. Add onion, celery, carrot, salt and herbs. Saute over medium heat 8-10 minutes, or until the vegetables are just tender.

Add zucchini, bell peppers and garlic. Saute 5 minutes more. Grind in some black pepper

Combine water, wine and tomato paste. Add to vegetables along with the remaining ingredients. Cover and simmer over low heat for about 15 minutes (or longer). Serve hot.

Adapted from the Moosewood Cookbook

Oats(w/ Pineapple), Eggplant-Hazelnut Enchiladas and Mushroom Barley Soup

Breakfast

Oats with Pineapple (5 out of 5)


My favorite combination of fruit in my oatmeal is Pineapple and Cranberry, and a close second is just plain pineapple. I love the flavor, it is so good!

Lunch



Eggplant-Hazelnut Enchiladas (recipe in two parts) (rating 5 out of 5) I like them so much because of their harty texture and complex flavors. We added enough Chili Flakes to give it a pretty good kick too, which I am thoroughly enjoying!)

Mexican Red Sauce
2 tsp. Olive oil
1 cup minced onion
½ tsp. Salt
1 ½ tsp. Cumin
2 tsp. Chili powder
32 oz. Tomato sauce
red chili flakes
chipotle Tabasco Sauce
1 bulb garlic, minced

Heat olive oil in a medium sauce pan. Add onion and salt, and saute over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until the onion is translucent. Add cumin and chili powder and saute for about 5 minutes more.

Add tomato sauce and bring to a boil, partially covered then lower heat. Simmer at lease 30 minutes (preferably longer). Add the black pepper, chili flakes and garlic at any time during cooking. (The later you add the garlic, the more distinct its presence.)

adapted from the Moosewood Cookbook

Preparing the enchiladas:
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 Cup minced onion
3 medium eggplant, diced
1 tsp. salt (or to taste)
black pepper, to taste
1 bulb garlic, minced
2 green bell pepper, minced
1 red bell pepper, minced
1 to 1 1/2 cup ground roasted hazelnuts (leftovers from last week)
20-24 corn tortillas
1 batch Mexican Red Sauce (above)

Heat olive oil in a deep skillet or Dutch oven. Add onion and saute for about 5 minutes over medium heat.

Add eggplant, salt and pepper and mix well. Cover and cook for about 10 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the eggplant is soft.

Add garlic and bell pepper, Stir and cook 5-8 more minutes, or until the pepper is just tender. Taste to correct salt.

Remove from heat; stir in hazelnuts.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Microwave each tortilla for 12 seconds in the microwave, fill with about 1/3 cup filling and roll up. Gently situate the filled enchiladas in a baking pan, pour the Mexican Red sauce over the top. Bake uncovered for about 30 minutes.

Adapted from the Moosewood Cookbook


Dinner




Mushroom Barley Soup with Potato Rosemary Bread (3.5 out of 5) (would be higher, but I am just not super thrilled with Barley unless it is in my beer!)

Mushroom Barley Soup
½ cup uncooked Pearl Barley (still with the leftover BARLEY)
1 ½ cups water
64 oz. Vegetable broth
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tsp. Paprika
1 bulb garlic, minced
1 lb mushrooms, sliced
1 tsp. Salt
4 tbs. Soy sauce
4 tbs. Dry Sherry
freshly ground black pepper

Place the barley and water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer until the barley is tender (20-30 minutes).

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the onions and paprika and saute for about 5 minutes over medium heat. Add garlic, mushrooms and ½ tsp. Salt. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until everything is very tender, about 10 to 12 minutes. Stir in soy sauce and sherry.

Add the vegetable broth to the saute. Grind in a generous amount of black pepper, and simmer, partially covered, another 20 minutes over very low heat. Taste to correct seasonings and serve.

Adapted from the Moosewood Cookbook

Oats(w/ Papaya), Hazelnut-Red Peppers Sauce over whole wheat Pasta and PB&J Sandwiches

Breakfast
Oats with Papaya (rating 4 out of 5)



Lunch



Hazelnut-Red Peppers Sauce over whole wheat pasta (rating 5 out of 5)
2 cup whole hazelnuts
4 red bell peppers (about 2 cups chopped)
6 cups undrained canned tomatoes (2-28 oz cans), or 4 medium fresh tomatoes
2 garlic bulbs
5-6 tablespoons red wine vinaigrette (leftover from last week) (or 5 tablespoons olive oil and 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar)
¼ cup red wine
pinch of chili flakes
small bunch spinach

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. (or use a toaster oven)
Spread the hazelnuts on an unoiled baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. While the nuts are baking chop the bell peppers, tomatoes and garlic. Heat the vinaigrette in a saucepan, then add the peppers, tomatoes, garlic, vinegar, wine and chili flakes. Cook on high heat for 5 minutes and remove from the heat. The peppers should still be crunchy.
Cool the baked hazelnuts for several minutes, and then rub them briskly with a towel to remove most of the skins. Finely grind the hazelnuts in a food processor or nut grinder or in several batches in a spice mill. Place all of the ingredients in a food processor or blender and puree until smooth.

Modified from Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home

Dinner
Peanut butter, jelly and trail mix sandwiches (rating 4.5 of 5)



Cinnamon-raisin Ezekiel bread
peanut butter (grind it at the store!)
jelly
trail mix

Um, yea. You know what to do.

Oats(w/Cranberries), North African Cauliflower Soup and Apricot Bulghur Pilaf and a Salad

Breakfast Oats with Cranberries! (still!) (rating 5 out of 5)



Lunch North African Cauliflower Soup and Harvest Bread (rating 4 out of 5)



North African Cauliflower Soup (serves 4-6)
2 ½ cups chopped onions
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
2 potatoes (about 2 cups diced)
1 med head cauliflower (about 5 cups chopped)
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 ½ teaspoons ground fennel
4 cups hot water
32 oz vegetable stock

2 Tablespoons lemon juice
salt and ground pepper to taste

In a soup pot on medium heat, saute the onions in the oil for 5 to 10 minutes, until translucent. While the onions saute, dice the potatoes and chop the cauliflower.
Stir the cumin, fennel and potatoes into the pot and cook for a minute. Then add the hot water. Cover, turn up the heat and bring to a boil. Add the cauliflower and vegetable stock and return to a boil. Then lower the heat and simmer, covered, for about 10 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.
In a blender or food processor, puree the vegetables and broth until smooth. Add the lemon juice, salt and pepper. Reheat the soup if necessary, taking care not to scorch it.


from Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home

Dinner Apricot Bulghur (not barley!)(rating 5 out of 5) Pilaf and Salad (rating 5 out of 5)

salad:
Red leaf lettuce
cucumbers
grated carrot
avocado
red bell pepper
tamari sunflower seeds (left over from Hummus Sandwiches last week)
Red wine vinaigrette



Apricot Bulghur Pilaf (serves 4-6)
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 ½ cups chopped onions
1 ½ cups bulghur
2 ¼ cups boiling water
½ cup chopped dried apricots (preferably unsulfured)
1 ½ tablespoon fresh spearmint leaves, minced ( 2 teaspoons dried)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill (1 ½ teaspoons dried)
½ cup chopped fresh parsley
juice to 1 lemon
salt and ground pepper to taste

In a saucepan with a tight-fitting lid, heat the oil and saute the onions for 3 minutes. Stir in the bulghur and saute for 2 more minutes. Add the boiling water, cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and gently simmer for 10 minutes. Add the apricots without stirring them in, cover and cook for another 5 to 10 minutes until the water is absorbed and the bulghur is fluffy. Stir in the mint, dill, parsley and lemon juice. Add salt and pepper to tast.

Also from Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home

Oats(w/Cranberries), Stir Fry and Hummus Sandwiches

Breakfast

Oats with cranberries! (rating 5 out of 5)



Lunch
Stir Fry (rating 4 out of 5)



Sauce:
Soy sauce
sherry
hoisen sauce
chinese 5 spice
water
cornstarch

Stir fry the veggies:
onion
garlic
ginger
broccoli
soy beans
yellow squash
red bell pepper
pour some sauce on it and serve it over noodles

Dinner
Hummus sandwiches (leftovers from last week) (rating 4 out of 5, since it is the 2nd week)

Unique meals

So, I have debated telling you about other foods we eat. Yes, it is true, we don't just stick to this menu 100% of the time. Sigh. We go out to eat. And we also often make unique food on cooking and shopping day. For instance, last weekend we had delightful sandwiches made with sauted veggies with muenster cheese on a hoagie roll and sweet potato fries.



That was Paul's treat to me for me doing my first recreational bike ride of the season. What a good guy. The reason I debated including these types of meals is that it will complicate this blog. In the end, I have decided that it is worth it. Our unique meals (out and in our home) add spice to our lives, and they will probably do the same for this space.

We really do like to eat out, but we don't do it as much as we would like to. Breakfast is my favorite meal to eat at a restaurant, but we only do it about 2 or 3 times a year. This weekend I decided that I wanted to make french toast. (I don't think I have ever made french toast on my own). I bought Challah bread to make it with and it turned out well. It satisfied my want for breakfast out. (sorry, I did not take any pictures!) The VERY NEXT DAY Paul suggests that we go out for breakfast with a friend! I NEVER turn down an opportunity to go out for breakfast, so we went. The timing was funny though. We shared a greek omlette, hashbrowns and pancakes. And we had a lot of coffee. YUMM!


This week:

Breakfast

We are having Oatmeal with currents and golden raisins. The currents are leftover from the dogfood scones from last week (the dog is loving them, by the way). I give this combination a 4 out of 5 stars.



Our lunch is Barley Mushroom Casserole and Roasted Garlic Mashed Butternut Squash. It sounds all right, doesn't it? Well... I am not really thrilled. I give the casserole 2 stars and the squash 3 stars. I would have the squash again, but would not say they are great. We got these recipes from the Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at home



Our dinner is Hummus Sandwiches and fresh fruit. I give them 5 stars. Yumm.



Shopping list:
1 container plain Hummus
1 container spicy Hummus
raw sunflower seads
Soy Sauce
carrot
spinach
Ezekiel bread

Mix the containers of Hummus together and store in an airtight container until ready to serve. Toast the sunflower seeds in a skillet. When they have browned sufficiently, add some soy sauce to them and keep stirring until they are fairly dry. Take them off the heat to cool. Grate the carrot and wash the spinich. Paul had already made up a spicy mustard using brown mustard, honey and chipotle Tabasco. Heat the bread in the toaster a little. Put a layer of mustard on the bread, layers of the Hummus mixture, sunflower seeds, carrots and spinich. We are having apples and bananas with it. Delicious!

Ok, so what are we eating this week???

Breakfast
We have oatmeal with dried fruit for breakfast almost every day. This week we are having our oatmeal with Apples. (Rating 5 of 5 stars)


We cook only what we will use for the day.
Shopping list for the week:
2 Cups Rolled Oats
2 Cups Triticale
2 Cups Barley flakes
Brown Sugar
Dried Fruit
Vanilla flavored Oat Milk

Recipe (serves 2)
1 1/2 Cups water (bring to a boil)
2 heaping tablespoons brown sugar (mix into boiling water)
1/3 cup dried fruit (this varies depending on what fruit it is)(mix into boiling water)
1 1/2 Cups of mixture of oats, triticale and barley (or check for a 7 grain mixture in your bulk food aisle)

Stir in grains and keep stirring for about 30 seconds. Take off heat and cool a little.

When you are ready to serve it, add some milk to it. We add Vanilla Flavored Oat Milk to ours. Paul also adds freshly ground flax seed and wheat germ to his.


Lunch

Winter Vegetable Couscous (Rating 4.5 of 5 stars)



Recipe taken directly from Joy of Cooking

Dinner

Black Bean Soup and Corn Scones (Rating Soup: 4 of 5 stars, scones: dogfood)



I enjoyed the soup, which was just a really nice chili, but the scones did not turn out well. I *never* toss "good" food, but the scones are dog treats this week. Ironic that this is the week I started my blog...

These recipes came from Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home

Why am I writing about the food we eat?

Because we do things a little differently... We do not prepare unique, single day meals very often. My partner and I prepare a dish for lunch and a different dish for dinner and we make enough to last a week. We buy only the ingredients that we need to prepare those dishes, and our goal at the end of the week is to have nothing left. Well, maybe just the things that are really difficult to only get one weeks' supply of (like Hershey's Dark Chocolate Syrup...) We also have oatmeal for breakfast 6-7 days a week, and we put a different kind of fruit in it every week.

Why do we do this? There are many reasons, but the most important one is that it is really easy. We do not have to think of something new to have for dinner every night! It is already made by the time we come home from work and all we have to do is heat it up (usually). Another reason we do it fits into our lifestyle: we try to buy only things that we need (though we do have our vises...). Buying only the food that we will use that week also means that we are more likely to be eating food that is fresh. Only buying the food we will eat is much cheaper than buying food just in case we will need it. Our average grocery bill is $70 (2 people, 1 week).

How do we do only buy enough food for the week? We look at a recipe book, decide what we are going to make and make a grocery list. Our grocery store has bulk food, so we only have to buy the specific quantities of ingredients that our recipe calls for (there are exceptions). Sometimes it is way cheaper to buy 3 pounds of flour than just the 3 cups I need, so I will go ahead and get the bigger container. I feel good about doing this if it something I know that I will use soon.

I hope that you enjoy the blog! Happy eating!